1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to vehicles and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for providing training for a vehicle. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for sharing data generated by the vehicle and other vehicles in a training session.
2. Background
Training exercises are often performed using vehicles. For example, training exercises in the form of military training exercises may be performed using aircraft, ground vehicles, ships, and other suitable platforms. These training exercises may be used to teach operators how to operate the vehicles, coordinate operation of the vehicles with other operators, practice strategies and tactics, and for other suitable training purposes.
For example, the operators of the vehicles may train to improve skills and reactions to adversarial events. These events may include, for example, without limitation, encountering enemy aircraft, encountering enemy ground vehicles, encountering enemy ships, reacting to a presence of surface-to-air missile sites, engaging time sensitive targets, performing reconnaissance of targets and locations, and other suitable events.
A portion of training may be performed using training devices on the ground. These training devices often take the form of simulators. A simulator is a system that copies or simulates the experience of operating a vehicle. A simulator is meant to make the experience as real as possible. Simulators may range from controls and a display in a room to a full-size replica of a portion of the vehicle mounted on actuators that are configured to move the cockpit in response to actions taken by an operator. These types of simulators provide a capability to teach operators of the vehicle to operate various vehicle systems and to react to different events.
Additionally, training is also performed through training exercises using live vehicles. These types of training exercises expose operators to the actual conditions encountered when operating a vehicle such as a fighter aircraft or a tank.
With military aircraft, this type of training is typically performed on various areas or ranges. This type of training may involve using multiple live vehicles to perform training for encountering enemy aircraft. Further, various ground platforms also may be used. These ground platforms may include, for example, without limitation, tanks, surface-to-air missile systems, and other suitable ground units. These types of training exercises provide a pilot with the additional experience needed to operate a vehicle in different conditions.
With the use of equipment such as training devices and live vehicles, data may be exchanged between training devices, live vehicles, or a combination thereof during a training exercise. Data may also be exchanged over wireless communications links. However, the types of equipment used may be restricted because of the security level in data that may be transmitted between the equipment. Thus, differences in security levels between equipment may restrict what equipment may be used in a particular training exercise.
For example, when performing training exercises between two different countries, the security level of the data that may be transmitted may limit what equipment may be used. As a result, the training exercise may not be as robust or may not provide as realistic of a scenario because of the limitations of what equipment may be used in the training exercise.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.